Really interesting message, Milo!
We had similar discussion in Russian forum. We have new generation of gamers who never had experience playing old good Elite and this new generation gets first impressions on Oolite comparing it with modern games such ED or No Man's Sky.
I think Oolite not just successful Elite reincarnation with modern graphics. It is quite mature and very interesting game in space simulators genre per se, and the most interesting aspect of Oolite is high degree of customization (really high comparing with commercial games).
But some aspects of Oolite seems too archaic and too cryptic for new gamers indeed. Text interface from epoch of 8 bit computers with 48 KB memory is ugly, lack of reprogrammed hotkeys providing fast access to equipment is terrible. And so on.

Thanks to everyone that welcomed me before. A small update with more feedback. After playing some more, I am still terrible in combat, but I discovered that some of the pilots of the Feudal States challenge ships are also terrible, and they offer 10:1 bets with a stake of 10000 Cr, giving 100,000 after a few minutes of combat, so I now have several million credits while still ranked harmless (0). If someone can edit that expansion, I think the 10,000 stake level should be removed, or alternatively they should stop offering it after the first time they lose to you! I also think that ship trade-in value reduction should be changed to either a flat 10% of ship price (maybe drop it to 50% only when the ship is eligible for an overhaul) or the option for a maintenance overhaul should be available always, because when you want to change ships, especially early in the game, the trade-in value reduction feels like a time sink. I also think that the number of random ships appearing for sale in each shipyard should be increased, since with various shipset oxps installed it is hard to find the model you want (the minimum tech level requirements further reinforce this). Alternatively, if there could be a feature added where you could specify which ship model you want and be told what system to go to, that would be an interesting way to provide a deterministic in-game solution. Changing topics, I see others on this forum have proposed and I agree that contracts for passengers should pay significantly more, since you sacrifice cargo space for passenger berths, they take more time than milk run trading, and the risk is higher. Increasing the pay for passenger (and parcel) missions would reduce the emphasis on milk runs.

Born 1972, played Elite when released on Commodore 64, the sound of the datasette when loading still ringing in my ears. Later on Amiga 500 ST, then a long break, then Winfellow Amiga Emulator on PC, then Oolite shortly after release. Liked it a lot, but got to its limits soon. When I saw how far the game had gone by 2018 I reinstalled, dusted my Thrustmaster and have been enjoying it immensely since then.

Playstyle: Explore everything I see, alle the more enticing with all the oxps going now. And Cobra MK-III trader, as soon as equipment is good enough, part time bounty hunter.

Foremost: Big thank you to everyone here working on the game, feedbacking it, and doing those excellent oxps. This is an excellent community of dedicated players!
(from Munich, Germany)

Hi all, I too am a new person to this bulletin board forum (who recalls a BBS?!)

I'm now playing the OOlite version having started in the mid to late 80s on the BBC micro version.

Those Halcyon days huh? This new version does look better & seems more genial to new players than I recall. Times have moved on though right?

I still started back on the 31/10/18 at Lave with 100cr & now I'm plying a trade route I discovered here & slowly tricking out the good old Cobra Mk3. Mining laser on the port window just like old times. Need some practise with sun skimming for fuel though!

Might also look into the expansion packs soon, new ships appeal, has anybody made a Millennium Falcon yet? Might need to explore a little first....

I am re-introducing my self. I have been a way for a while, not even so much as lurking. I have rediscovered Oolite sitting on my desk top as the weather sinks into icy blasts on this multi-government, tech level 1(?) planet and I am liking the version 1.88 thus far.
I did suffer a set back some time ago and lost my most experienced saved game so back to G1 and hunting the Constrictor, I will always have the memory of the epic duel around the Con-store and Advert buoys however.
I am curious if there are any OXPs that I may have that interfere with the full benefit of the new version.
For instance, has the hyperspace FX been enhanced? I see the classic concentric circles I have grown familier with.

In any case I cannot thank everyone enough for the efforts they have put into this gem. If I had any coding experience I would surely contribute. As it is I will throw out some ideas in the future for others to test their programming skills on if they find them worth while.

I am re-introducing my self. I have been a way for a while, not even so much as lurking. I have rediscovered Oolite sitting on my desk top as the weather sinks into icy blasts on this multi-government, tech level 1(?) planet and I am liking the version 1.88 thus far.
I did suffer a set back some time ago and lost my most experienced saved game so back to G1 and hunting the Constrictor, I will always have the memory of the epic duel around the Con-store and Advert buoys however.
I am curious if there are any OXPs that I may have that interfere with the full benefit of the new version.
For instance, has the hyperspace FX been enhanced? I see the classic concentric circles I have grown familier with.

In any case I cannot thank everyone enough for the efforts they have put into this gem. If I had any coding experience I would surely contribute. As it is I will throw out some ideas in the future for others to test their programming skills on if they find them worth while.

Thanks for your kind words and welcome back. Regarding your question, I am not sure what to tell you since you haven't mentioned which OXPs you have, but I can safely say that if you want improved hyperspace fx, look no further than the BGS OXP. It features an almost hypnotic hyper tunnel implementation.

Hi everybody Im new here. I had to make a special email account just to register(the site does not accept Hotmail for some reason)
At the moment Im just trying to figure out the best way to map out the controls to work with my Linx Vision(the game runs perfectly but I only have a limited button set)
What would be the best expansions to increase playability